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Cardinals host 5th annual Green Week at Busch

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Press Release |

ST. LOUIS, MO (April 18, 2014) - In celebration of the 44th anniversary of Earth Day, the St. Louis Cardinals will host their 5th annual Green Week (#4aGreenerGame), April 22 through April 30, with activities designed to promote recycling, both inside and outside of Busch Stadium. Following is a listing of the week's events:

MERS/Goodwill Computer E-Cycling Drive on Tuesday, April 22, 2014

The Cardinals will host a computer and electronics recycling and general donations drive in collaboration with Goodwill. Fans may drop off unused or unwanted computers and electronic equipment at trailers in Parking Lot C, located at the corner of 8th Street and Cerre Street, immediately south of I-64/40. All items will be accepted free of charge, and donors do not need to sort their items prior to dropping them off. Computers and computer accessories, phones (home and cell), clocks, VCRs, DVD players, stereos, AV equipment including cable and satellite boxes, and any other electronic devices and general donations will be accepted in any condition. Goodwill will also accept any of your clothing, furniture, home décor, and housewares. All donations are tax deductible, and Goodwill will provide receipts for items donated. In return, fans donating will receive a voucher good for half off Cardinals tickets. The event will run from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. For more information, visit cardinals.com/greenweek or mersgoodwill.org. The revenue generated from the sale of your donations is used to further MERS/Goodwill's mission of providing opportunities for persons with barriers to employment to work and live more independently in the community. The primary focus and success of MERS/Goodwill's employment and rehabilitation programs is in their ability to prepare people for the world of work.

Friday, April 25 through Wednesday, April 30

The Cardinals, in partnership with Shoeman Water Projects, will collect shoes at Busch Stadium gates before the games on Friday, April 25 through Sunday, April 27. Fans are asked to clean out their closets of any unwanted shoes, tie or band them together, and drop them in the designated shoe collection bags. Shoeman Water Projects creates clean drinking water for those in need by selling shoes to exporters for resale and then using the money generated from those sales to purchase well-drilling rigs and water purification systems in developing countries.

On Tuesday, April 29, Operation Food Search will recognize the Cardinals and the team's concessionaire, Delaware North Companies, in an on-field ceremony prior to the game. Together, the Cardinals and Delaware North Companies diverted nearly 13,000 pounds of unused food from concessions stands in Busch Stadium to Operation Food Search in 2013, which reduced the amount of waste going to landfills. When food decomposes in landfills, it becomes a source of greenhouse gas emissions. The Cardinals are exceeding their food recovery goals, which results in decreasing greenhouse gas emissions and slowing climate change.

With the help of Ameren Missouri Pure Power, the Cardinals will offset energy consumption by purchasing renewable energy credits (recs) for the duration of Green Week. By purchasing recs, the Cardinals will offset 100% of the energy used at Busch Stadium for the games during Green Week.

During Green Week, and all season long, the St. Louis Cardinals Green Team volunteers walk down the aisles of the seating bowl in-between innings and collect recyclables from fans while promoting recycling at Busch Stadium. In exchange for their services, they are able to watch the game in standing room only sections of Busch Stadium, as collections are only done in-between innings and during pitching changes so as not to disturb fans trying to watch the game. To volunteer, e-mail 4agreenergame@cardinals.com, or for more information, visit cardinals.com/green.

This week and throughout the season, fans are also encouraged to donate new or gently used baseball and softball equipment at a special bin located at the Family Pavilion in Busch Stadium, as part of "Rawlings Replay." "Rawlings Replay," which was established in 2011, supports Redbird Rookies, the flagship program of Cardinals Care, which provides disadvantaged youth with the opportunity to play baseball for free, as well as a variety of other support services. Fans are also encouraged to donate at St. Louis area Johnny Mac's locations and receive a special discount in-store on new Rawlings products. Members of the Cardinals Kids Club (cardinals.com/kidsclub) receive an additional voucher, good for two tickets to a game, if donations are made at Johnny Mac's.

Since the launch of4 A Greener Game (#4aGreenerGame) in 2008, the Cardinals have diverted nearly 2,400 tons of solid waste from local landfills, and Busch Stadium continues to become more energy efficient through participation in Ameren Missouri's Business Energy Efficiency Program.

The team has reduced energy use by 20% and water use by 10% since the new stadium opened in 2006.

34% of the team's waste was diverted from landfills in 2013.

On average, four tons of trash are recycled at Busch Stadium each game.